Josh Jacobs was pretty great on Monday night. And he was doing it against (what we believe) a pretty good Broncos defense. This wasn't like he was out there lighting up the Miami Dolphins. No disrespect to the Ravens who took that to another level, but I'm trying to show you how impressive Jacobs was. He looked legit. He looked like the kind of running back who could get 250 carries for the Raiders, a first for a Jon Gruden-coached team since 2005 (Cadillac Williams). And I know that statistic doesn't quite jump out at you when you consider Gruden was in the Monday night booth for so long. It's like when I tell people that my No. 44 is retired at Corona High School. Sure, it was probably for Heath Farwell, but I still claim that.
And of course I like Jacobs this week against the Chiefs who provide the fourth-best running back matchup of the week according to Pro Football Focus. You can never bench the guy now, as he looks to be the centerpiece of that offense.
I will say that I'm also leaning towards streaming Derek Carr in some spots. The Chiefs are still a liability in the secondary. Well, either that or Gardner Minshew is the greatest rookie quarterback in the history of the world. Carr should give you a lot of production, as it stands to reason that the Raiders will have to throw the ball a lot this week. The Chiefs led the NFL last year with 632 passes attempted against them. The Jaguars threw 32 passes last week, which means Carr is likely going to throw the ball a lot. And since he rarely throws an interception, he's a pretty low-risk option for you.
Another player to look at is Darren Waller. Carr basically saved Jared Cook's career by throwing to him repeatedly. Cook having success this late in his career is like the way AEW has made Chris Jericho a champion again. Now Carr is going to get Waller over and this week he has a great matchup against the Chiefs who allowed the most-points to tight ends in 2018.
And if I might throw in this side note, going back to Jacobs. I speak for all Bears fans (and a lot of fantasy managers) in saying Jacobs' debut was what we were hoping for with David Montgomery in Week 1. Funny, the hype train for Montgomery drove his ADP up to the third-round while Jacobs kind of hoovered. And this isn't a knock on Montgomery. You can't watch the film and feel like he failed in any sense of the imagination. But the game plan for the Bears was awful. I'm not sure the Bears will mimic what the Raiders did on Monday night. And they don't need to go full Kirk Cousins and let Mitch Trubiskky throw the ball just 10 times. But it's not a bad idea, either.
Here are seven other sleepers who could get you going this week:
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
It's only a matter of before Sanders is the full-on starter for the Eagles. That breakout game could come Sunday night. The Falcons have struggled for years containing running backs as receivers out of the backfield. BTW, a lot of people rage-dropped Sanders this week in seven percent of NFL.com leagues (6,256).
Matt Breida, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Breida is routinely besmirched and overlooked in the 49ers backfield, but he continues to put up impressive performances. Cincinnati allowed the most fantasy points to running backs in 2018. Of course, this is the 49ers, which means that Raheem Mostert is going to end up getting like 70 looks. Mostert is a deep-league flyer.
John Brown, WR, Buffalo Bills
Wasted little time getting into a rhythm with Allen. The Giants allowed the most points to wide receivers in Week 1. I mean, part of that should be a credit to Dak Prescott, but still, that won't stop me from using it as justification to fit my narrative.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks
He's battling through a back injury right now. But the Steelers defense was atrocious on Sunday night. And while you don't want to chase fantasy points for players, you also don't want to double-down when a team has struggled mightily. Still, I love this matchup for Lockett if he's healthy.
Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Congratulations to those of you who secured Gallup off your waiver wire. He would be a suitable replacement for some of the injured guys like Tyreek Hill, etc. The Cowboys offense has a great matchup this week against Washington.
Buffalo Bills DST
I know, I'm taking the easy way out with a Bills stack. Fine. You want one more? I'll give you one more.
Houston Texans DST
I mean, it's a decent enough defense going against a rookie quarterback making his first start on the road. I know, Gardner Minshew is like my favorite player in the world right now. But this is sound logic. And if you don't like this one, let's go with the Browns DST against whomever is playing quarterback for the Jets this week. I heard it was Trevor Siemian. Which I can't believe is true.